Fw: Volusia County on lockdown:TUESDAY NOV 16 2004

----- Original Message -----
From: "goldi316"
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 6:50 AM
Subject: Fwd: Volusia County on lockdown:TUESDAY NOV 16 2004


> Report from blackbox voting in Florida...
> * * * * *
>
> TUESDAY NOV 16 2004: Volusia County on lockdown
> County election records just got put on lockdown
>
> Dueling lawyers, election officials gnashing teeth, Votergate.tv
> film crew catching it all.
>
> Here's what happened so far:
>
> Friday Black Box Voting investigators Andy Stephenson and Kathleen
> Wynne popped in to ask for some records. They were rebuffed by an
> elections official named Denise. Bev Harris called on the cell phone
> from investigations in downstate Florida, and told Volusia County
> Elections Supervisor Deanie Lowe that Black Box Voting would be in
> to pick up the Nov. 2 Freedom of Information request, or would file
> for a hand recount. "No, Bev, please don't do that!" Lowe exclaimed.
> But this is the way it has to be, folks. Black Box Voting didn't
> back down.
>
> Monday Bev, Andy and Kathleen came in with a film crew and asked for
> the FOIA request. Deanie Lowe gave it over with a smile, but Harris
> noticed that one item, the polling place tapes, were not copies of
> the real ones, but instead were new printouts, done on Nov. 15, and
> not signed by anyone.
>
> Harris asked to see the real ones, and they said for "privacy"
> reasons they can't make copies of the signed ones. She insisted on
> at least viewing them (although refusing to give copies of the
> signatures is not legally defensible, according to Berkeley
> elections attorney, Lowell Finley). They said the real ones were in
> the County Elections warehouse. It was quittin' time and an
> arrangment was made to come back this morning to review them.
>
> Lana Hires, a Volusia County employee who gained some notoriety in
> an election 2000 Diebold memo, where she asked for an explanation of
> minus 16,022 votes for Gore, so she wouldn't have to stand
> there "looking dumb" when the auditor came in, was particularly
> unhappy about seeing the Black Box Voting investigators in the
> office. She vigorously shook her head when Deanie Lowe suggested
> going to the warehouse.
>
> Kathleen Wynne and Bev Harris showed up at the warehouse at 8:15
> Tuesday morning, Nov. 16. There was Lana Hires looking especially
> gruff, yet surprised. She ordered them out. Well, they couldn't see
> why because there she was, with a couple other people, handling the
> original poll tapes. You know, the ones with the signatures on them.
> Harris and Wynne stepped out and Volusia County officials promptly
> shut the door.
>
> There was a trash bag on the porch outside the door. Harris looked
> into it and what do you know, but there were poll tapes in there.
> They came out and glared at Harris and Wynne, who drove away a small
> bit, and then videotaped the license plates of the two vehicles
> marked 'City Council' member. Others came out to glare and soon all
> doors were slammed.
>
> So, Harris and Wynne went and parked behind a bus to see what they
> would do next. They pulled out some large pylons, which blocked the
> door. Harris decided to go look at the garbage some more while Wynne
> videotaped. A man who identified himself as "Pete" came out and
> Harris immediately wrote a public records request for the contents
> of the garbage bag, which also contained ballots -- real ones, but
> not filled out.
>
> A brief tug of war occurred, tearing the garbage bag open. Harris
> and Wynne then looked through it, as Pete looked on. He was quite
> friendly.
>
> Black Box Voting collected various poll tapes and other information
> and asked if they could copy it, for the public records
> request. "You won't be going anywhere," said Pete. "The deputy is on
> his way."
>
> Yes, not one but two police cars came up and then two county
> elections officials, and everyone stood around discussing the merits
> of the "black bag" public records request.
>
> The police finally let Harris and Wynne go, about the time the
> Votergate.tv film crew arrived, and everyone trooped off to the
> elections office. There, the plot thickened.
>
> Black Box Voting began to compare the special printouts given in the
> FOIA request with the signed polling tapes from election night. Lo
> and behold, some were missing. By this time, Black Box Voting
> investigator Andy Stephenson had joined the group at Volusia County.
> Some polling place tapes didn't match. In fact, in one location,
> precinct 215, an African-American precinct, the votes were off by
> hundreds, in favor of George W. Bush and other Republicans.
>
> Hmm. Which was right? The polling tape Volusia gave to Black Box
> Voting, specially printed on Nov. 15, without signatures, or the
> ones with signatures, printed on Nov. 2, with up to 8 signatures per
> tape?
>
> Well, then it became even more interesting. A Volusia employee boxed
> up some items from an office containing Lana Hires' desk, which
> appeared to contain -- you guessed it -- polling place tapes. The
> employee took them to the back of the building and disappeared.
>
> Then, Ellen B., a voting integrity advocate from Broward County,
> Florida, and Susan, from Volusia, decided now would be a good time
> to go through the trash at the elections office. Lo and behold, they
> found all kinds of memos and some polling place tapes, fresh from
> Volusia elections office.
>
> So, Black Box Voting compared these with the Nov. 2 signed ones and
> the "special' ones from Nov. 15 given, unsigned, finding several of
> the MISSING poll tapes. There they were: In the garbage.
>
> So, Wynne went to the car and got the polling place tapes she had
> pulled from the warehouse garbage. My my my. There were not only
> discrepancies, but a polling place tape that was signed by six
> officials.
>
> This was a bit disturbing, since the employees there had said that
> bag was destined for the shredder.
>
> By now, a county lawyer had appeared on the scene, suddenly
> threatening to charge Black Box Voting extra for the time spent
> looking at the real stuff Volusia had withheld earlier. Other
> lawyers appeared, phoned, people had meetings, Lana glowered at
> everyone, and someone shut the door in the office holding the GEMS
> server.
>
> Black Box Voting investigator Andy Stephenson then went to get the
> Diebold "GEMS" central server locked down. He also got the memory
> cards locked down and secured, much to the dismay of Lana. They were
> scattered around unsecured in any way before that.
>
> Everyone agreed to convene tomorrow morning, to further audit,
> discuss the hand count that Black Box Voting will require of Volusia
> County, and of course, it is time to talk about contesting the
> election in Volusia.
>
> # # # # #
>
> http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
>
>
>
> Download Wikipedia on VOTERGATE!!!
>
>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_U.S._Election_controversies_and_irregulari
ties
>
>
>
> More Voter "Irregulsrity" Stories
>
> http://www.votersunite.org/article.asp?id=3820
>
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